South Carolina metal behemoths, Nile, wound their way to our shores for the first time in over two and half years to lay customary waste to the UK’s metal hordes.

Daniel Cairns was on sentry duty in Highbury, London, and not only sent back this report, but spoke to lead general Karl Sanders about the perilous effects of modern technology on the ancient arts of death metal demon-summoning. Check out the video and live review below!

NILE

EX DEO/SVART CROWN

THE GARAGE, LONDON

SVART CROWN [8] are yet another example of just how far ahead of the pack the French are when it comes to extreme metal. They’re clearly indebted to the discordant likes of Deathspell Omega and Celeste, but they’re also adept at throwing in some beastly Gojira-style grooves too, for when you feel like a bit of a dance. There’s a good turnout for them, and their momentum will only increase. It’s a smashing set, and the bass is absolutely devastating, every thump of the instrument, eliciting a rattle in the chest. EX DEO [8] are a more simplistic and much sillier affair, but by god, they’re fun. It’s genuinely difficult to dislike any band when they come out dressed as Roman Legionnaires and sing songs about fighting and battles. It’s like a heavy metal musical version of Spartacus, without the gore and gratuitous nudity obviously, but still. There’s some excellently heavy metal posing by frontman Maurizio Iacono, as he wails stuff like ‘Hold the line’ and ‘You killed my father’. There’s a fantastic response from the Garage crowd, fists bumping in unison.

NILE [9] come out to an intro track that isn’t a million miles away from the theme of ex-WWE wrestler Goldberg, before going on the warpath. Basically, they sound absolutely devastating tonight. Messrs Sanders and Toller Wade know it too, as a giant, shit-eating grin spreads across Karl’s face constantly. They’re excellent on record obviously, but seeing them live is a different matter altogether. Their mummified, balls to the wall, death metal attack is jaw-dropping in its sheer smothering brutality, even invoking a completely un-ironic throwing up of the metal horns. Highlights include a churning, vicious sounding Sarcophagus and Ithyphalic, featuring the unlikely singalong, ‘Anoint my phallus with the blood of the fallen’. Lovely stuff.

France’s hardcore/black metal outfit The Phantom Carriage will release a second full-length titled “Falls” as a 12″ vinyl this coming February 28th via Throatruiner Records, Braincrushing Records, and Theatre Records.

The album’s eight tracks were recorded by Franck Hueso (Deathspell Omega, Hacride), while the artwork was designed by Romain Barbot. You can now stream a track titled “Dreamers Will Never Stop Dreaming” through the Bandcamp player below. The following press release was also issued about the album:

“With this second full-length, Poitiers’ The Phanton Carriage annihilate the remaining boundaries between black metal and dark hardcore. This time focusing on the most extreme side of their sound, ‘Falls’ brings the band’s unique approach to the next level, invoking reminiscences of various acts such as Deathspell Omega, Cave In, Comity, Deafheaven or Kickback.

“Songs such as ‘Dreamers Will Never Stop Dreaming’ or ‘Today We Stand’ reveal how much the band has improved their songwriting abilities, burying the listener under piles of epic & technical riffs, labyrinthic structures and unearthly vocals. By throwing into their chaos some more unorthodox influences they gained from their other past and actual experiences, The Phantom Carriage prove that they are digging deeper than your average ‘blackened hardcore’ band. And they will take you with them.”

As announced last month, Rage Nucleaire’s debut album is entitled “Unrelenting Fucking Hatred.” This raw manifesto of black metal has been scheduled for an October 19th release (November 6th in North America).

The cover artwork and tracklisting will be unveiled later in the summer. A 2-LP edition will be available in North America, strictly limited to 300 copies, and available through Season of Mist’s e-shop.

“If anyone had ever told me that someday I’d be signed to Season of Mist, I’d have laughed at them,” guitarist Dark Rage comments. “The point is, being accepted into the SoM family, along with such ungodly notables as Arckanum, Mayhem, and Deathspell Omega, is like being given a Sith name – it feels great to be part of SoM’s evil empire.”

Season of Mist is excited to announce the signing of Canadian act Rage Nucleaire. Formed by ex-Cryptopsy vocalist Lord Worm, the black metal act has been working on debut album “Unrelenting Fucking Hatred” for quite a while and describes it as a “hate-filled blend of melodic black metal and violent industrial.”

“If anyone had ever told me that someday I’d be signed to Season of Mist, I’d have laughed at them,” guitarist Dark Rage comments. “The point is, being accepted into the SoM family, along with such ungodly notables as Arckanum, Mayhem, and Deathspell Omega, is like being given a Sith name – it feels great to be part of SoM’s evil empire.”

Adds Lord Worm: “The three of us seem to share the same bleak world vision, for one thing, and this shows up very clearly in the compositions. Alvater used to be in the godly Frozen Shadows, and I know he hasn’t spent nearly a fraction of his accumulated rage. Dark Rage and I don’t do a lot of cretinous smiling, either.”

Deathspell Omega will be releasing a new EP titled “Drought” this coming June 22nd, 2012 via Season of Mist. The band has now teamed up with Decibel Magazine to premiere a new song online titled “Abrasive Swirling Murk.” Check out the track at this location.

Throatruiner Records has issued the following announcement about Cowards releasing the new “Shooting Blanks and Pills” album:

“Drawing their influence from bands such as Eyehategod, Kickback or Deathspell Omega, Parisians Cowards will release debut album ‘Shooting Blanks And Pills’ on 12″ vinyl and free download during June via Throatruiner Records (Birds In Row, Comity, Elizabeth…).

“Recorded by Parisian renowned producer Francis Caste at Sainte Marthe Studio, this full-length is a dive into the ugliest sides of hardcore, sludge and black metal. Cowards features current and ex-members of Death Mercedes, Hangman’s Chair, Eibon, Glorior Belli…

“Gathering Parisians with an already strong pedigree in dark and heavy music, Cowards regurgitates gutter hardcore, unhealthy sludge/doom and nauseous black metal in ‘Shooting Blanks And Pills,’ their deeply raw and anxiogenic debut release. Only six months were needed to give birth to this full-length, monstrosity with a desperate urban feeling, bridge between the knife-in-the-heart crudeness of Eyehategod or Kickback and the majestic darkness of bands like Deathspell Omega or Thou. With a sound carrying smells of pissy streets and the dry blood you get for a sidelong glance, producer Francis Caste have perfectly catched the gist of these 38 minutes, recreating this forced apnea in a bile tank with a no frills approach.”

Finnish blackened thrash band Forgotten Horror will release its debut album “The Serpent Creation” on October 28, 2011 through Woodcut Records. The title track of the LP will be presented as a music video on the same day. The artwork (shown below) was created by Ketola (Dissection/Murder Squad/Watain/Deathspell Omega). Forgotten Horror is made up of vocalist/guitarist Tuomas Karhunen, bassist Corpse and drummer Kassara, all of the Finnish thrash band Deathchain.